West Ham captain Mark Noble has opened up about an emotional interaction with a fan that put his life into perspective following a penalty miss the previous day.
On September 19, 2021, the experienced midfielder came off the bench in the final minutes of their Premier League clash against Manchester United to take a last-gasp penalty.
With the Hammers trailing 2-1, manager David Moyes decided to give the often reliable midfielder a chance to rescue a point but goalkeeper David de Gea dived to his left to save the strike.
Manchester United left the London Stadium with all three points and Noble was left devastated by the rare penalty miss. In fact, the day after, it was his wife's birthday and he was still feeling down about the situation.
But when he arrived at Shenfield station on that Monday morning, the 34-year-old was approached by a West Ham supporting train driver.
The fan, a military veteran who served in Afghanistan, was overwhelmed to meet his hero - an important moment that Noble has since spoken about on Rio Ferdinand's Vibe With FIVE podcast. You can watch the brilliant clip below.
After the interaction, Noble reached out to the fan. He wanted to reward him with a trip to the London Stadium to watch the Hammers in action.
Speaking about the incident in September, the midfielder said: "I was going out and I parked at the station at Shenfield and a fella came over who was a West Ham fan.
"He asked for a photo and was shaking at the time and said: 'Mark, thank you so much for your loyalty and you've been a massive inspiration to me and my family.'
"I was hiding how bad I felt after the day before and speaking to him really cheered me up in a way.
"I don't know who you are but if you can get in touch with the club and let us know who he is then I'm happy to host him and his family for a game at the London Stadium. It was a touching moment, that's what this club is about."
David Moyes went on to defend his decision to throw Noble on to take the spot-kick. “Do I regret it? Not at all." he said after the full-time whistle.
“That’s what happens in management, you have to make big decisions. Sometimes they go for you, sometimes they don’t.
“I just thought, we have a really good penalty taker on the bench. I’d have been more disappointed if I hadn’t made the decision. If one of the other players had taken it and missed I’d have thought, ‘Why didn’t I bring Mark Noble on’?
“He has an incredibly good record on penalties. So with Mark going on, and De Gea not saving many, I’m hoping that is the equaliser.”
Featured Image Credit: Alamy/Rio Ferdinand Presents FIVETopics: West Ham United, Premier League, Manchester United, David De Gea
Jack Kenmare